Journey to the West: Beginning with the Apprenticeship of Bodhi Patriarch

Chapter 23 Those who hear the Tao are one and the same

Jiang Yuan walked into the depths of the pavilion and saw an iron cage with three or four people locked inside, both men and women.

When the man and woman saw Jiang Yuan, they were terrified and fell to the ground, fearing that Jiang Yuan was a demon who wanted to eat them and kill them.

Jiang Yuan said: "Don't be afraid, I am a cultivator. I am here to rescue you by command of my master to wipe out the monsters in Yuzhu Mountain."

The man and woman trembled when they heard this. A brave man asked, "Are you serious? Are you here to save us?"

Jiang Yuan said nothing and opened the iron cage.

When the man and woman saw this, they knew that Jiang Yuan was really a savior. They walked out of the cage, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed sincerely: "Thank you, gods, for saving us! Thank you, gods, for saving us!"

Jiang Yuan shook his head, helped them up one by one, and said, "I am not a deity, but a cultivator. Are you from the Southern Continent?"

Men and women could not bow, so they could only say, "That's right, that's right! There were three disasters in the southern continent, and the princes were in chaos and disorder."

Jiang Yuan sighed, looked at the three or four people, and asked, "Is there anyone who wants to practice cultivation? To be honest, I have the order of my master to come and rescue a cultivator."

A ragged young man said, "To be honest with you, Master, I am a true practitioner. I could not find anything in Jambudvīpa, so I followed others across a huge ocean and came here, where I was captured by a demon."

Jiang Yuan was overjoyed when he heard this and said, "Come with me. My master is called Bodhi. He lives in Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Xieyue Sanxing Cave, and is a deity."

The young man was naturally happy to answer. He had always wanted to practice cultivation, so how could he not be happy to hear about the whereabouts of the immortals?

Jiang Yuan asked the man and woman again whether they were interested in practicing. He had seen that the others were restless and knew that they were not practitioners, but he still asked.

As expected, the man and woman declined the offer and only wished to survive and return to Jambu Continent one day.

Just as the founder said, "As long as you worry about food and clothing and work hard, why should you be afraid of the King of Hell taking you away?"

Jiang Yuan escorted the man and woman out of the pavilion, and he took the young man back to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain on foot.

The young man is of mortal bones and flesh, and it is difficult for Jiang Yuan to fly, so how could she support him? She could only walk the same way she came.

……

After walking thirty miles, Jiang Tong'er realized that the young man was an ordinary person, so he walked and stopped for two days before reaching Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

While walking, Jiang Yuan learned the young man's ordinary name, called "Feng Liu". He had a good personality and was a brave man. However, Jiang Yuan saw that Feng Liu's mind was also very wild, much more wild than his, so he was confused. How could the ancestor say that this was a person who practiced cultivation? It was difficult to calm the mind and practice cultivation.

Oblique Moon Samsung Cave.

Jiang Yuan led Feng Liuxing to Yaotai and saw the master sitting on the altar. He knew that the master was waiting for him.

Jiang Yuan walked forward quickly, bowed and said, "Master, I have come to rescue my son and exorcise the demon. I am reporting to you."

The master praised: "The boy is smart, please take a seat first."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan sat on the cushion.

The young man Feng Liu saw the master, bowed down and said, "Master, Master! I have been seeking the truth with all my heart. I have traveled from the southern continent to no avail. Now I have found a way to seek the truth. I hope you can teach me!"

The master said, "Tell me your hometown, name and surname clearly before you bow."

The young man said, "I am a native of Qi in the Zhou Dynasty of the Southern Continent. I was determined to seek the truth. While traveling in the Southern Continent, I met Wudao Qiu. I crossed the ocean and finally arrived at the Western Continent."

When the master heard this, he looked at Jiang Yuan with a smile and said, "Boy, you are a bit like me."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Master, those who have heard the Tao are all one and the same, there is no difference between first and last."

The master said, "That makes sense."

After that, he looked at the young man and said, "Do you really want to practice cultivation?"

The young man bowed down and kowtowed countless times, saying, "I am a sincere disciple who practices cultivation! I hope the master will take me in and teach me how to practice cultivation!"

The master said, "Do you really want to practice cultivation?"

The young man replied, "It is true, it is true! I am sincere and have no regrets!"

The master said, "In that case, you will become my disciple and practice Buddhism. What is your surname or name?" The young man said happily, "Master, I am Feng Liu."

The master nodded and said, "Since you have entered my cave and followed me in cultivation, you should have a Dharma name. My school has twelve characters, which are 'vast wisdom, true nature sea, brilliant enlightenment'. You are the second generation. Your mind is restless and your wisdom is hard to control. You should be called 'Hui' and your Dharma name is Dahui."

The young man Dahui kowtowed to express his gratitude, and was overjoyed: "Disciple Dahui thanks Master for bestowing the Dharma name."

The master said, "Please wait for your practice. There is a family outside the cave, the Zuo family. The family is over 40 years old and likes to chop firewood every day. You can help them chop firewood. When the family says that it is enough, you can stop. Then I will teach you the secret way."

Dahui took the order and left.

The ancestor and Jiang Yuan stayed on the Yaotai.

The master looked at the boy and said, "Tong'er, what do you think of Dahui?"

Jiang Yuan heard this and said in deep thought, "If a monkey is arrogant and wild, and you teach him to chop firewood, he will not be able to grow up, and his efforts will be wasted."

The master nodded and said, "That's right, Dahui's mind is wild and arrogant, and the cause and effect have not been broken, but it is not a problem for him to cultivate a small way. I think Dahui will stay in the cave for a while, and then he will leave."

Jiang Yuan knew that the quiet room in the Slanting Moon and Three Stars Cave was originally used as a "dormitory", and the master knew that practitioners could not stay there for long.

Jiang Tong'er said, "Master, rest assured. I will stay in the cave for a long time."

The Grand Master pointed at Jiang Yuan and scolded him with a smile, "You little boy, you need more time to invite five people. Where else can you live if not in the cave? You deserve to be beaten!"

Jiang Tong'er smiled and said, "Master, this disciple is showing his filial piety!"

The master said, "Go, go, go! Burn a gold sooner rather than later, and don't act pretentiously."

Jiang Yuan had no choice but to leave.

……

Time really flies, and practicing in the mountains is "quiet and peaceful without years or rules".

Five years have passed.

Jiang Yuan was calcined by the Wenwu fire, and the two beads of the lung palace gradually took shape. The two beads flew up and down like fire wheels, and took shape more and more as the Wenwu fire burned. It was truly "real gold is not afraid of fire".

During this day.

Jiang Yuan was in the Three Stars Cave of the Slanting Moon, listening to the master sitting on the platform and preaching, and Dahui was also among them.

The master has not yet started his lecture.

Dahui walked out of the class, bowed down, and said, "Master! I have been chopping wood for a long time. I would like to ask you to teach me the tricks."

The master looked at Jiang Yuan and asked, "Boy, how long have you been chopping firewood?"

Jiang Yuan replied, "Master, I forge the golden fire every day, refining the Yin fire at the winter solstice and the Yang fire at the summer solstice. This cycle repeats for five times, so it should be five years."

The Patriarch nodded, looked at Dahui and said, "After five years of chopping firewood, do you think that's enough, Zuo's head?"

Dahui said, "Enough, enough!"

The master asked again: "Is it true?"

Dahui said again: "Really!"

Jiang Yuan was speechless upon seeing this. With the help of his primordial spirit, he could see that Dahui's mind was still wild and unsettled. The master's words about chopping firewood made sense. Perhaps it was a way to cut off cause and effect and calm the mind. At this time, Dahui's words were tantamount to abandoning the right path.

The founder of the sect was kind-hearted and determined to teach a small way, but if someone of great wisdom were to learn it, he would surely suffer disaster when disaster strikes in the future.

As expected, the master pondered and said, "In this case, I will teach you the way of 'quiet', which is to rest and guard the grain, be quiet and do nothing, meditate, abstain from speech and fast, and practice sleep to establish merit."

Dahui was overjoyed and said, "I am willing to learn!"

It is because one's mind is still unsettled and cause and effect are not yet resolved, how can one know the difference between the side door and the right path...

　Please read the new book!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)